1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to novelty items, such as balls and similar handheld objects, that are internally illuminated. The present invention also relates to novelty objects that are fabricated from elastomeric gel.
2. Background Art
Since the commercialization of the small alkaline battery, many electrical components have been added to toys and other novelty objects. The prior art of toys is replete with toys that contain various motors, lights and electronic sound effects. One of the simplest toys that has been electrified is the ball.
There are many balls that contain internal lights. There are internally illuminated golf balls, footballs, soccer balls and many others that are currently commercially available. However, when a traditional ball is internally illuminated, the structure of the ball must be highly modified. In order to internally illuminate a ball, the ball must be provided with an internal light source and batteries. A segment of the ball must also be made to be translucent so that the internal illumination can be seen. Furthermore, an on/off switch must be added to the ball so that the light source within the ball can be selectively activated and deactivated. The presence of on/off switches and translucent panels on a ball provides the ball with hard surfaces that can hurt a child catching such a ball. Additionally, adding all of these features to a ball often causes the ball to have an eccentric center of gravity. The illuminated ball therefore wobbles when thrown or rolled. If the ball is balanced to maintain a central center of gravity, often the ball is complex and costly to manufacture.
The present invention provides an internally illuminated novelty device that is very inexpensive to manufacture, yet provides a centralized center of gravity. The present invention also provides a novelty device that has a unique on/off mechanism and light dispersing structure that allows the entire exterior of the novelty device to be soft. This invention is described and claimed below.